Friday, September 16, 2016

God is With Us

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“So do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

            God speaks words of comfort and strength to Isaiah. He still speaks these words to people today. Because we are human, we tend to forget God is with us when we face dire circumstances. When we strike out on our own and become overwhelmed by the scenes we see.

            When I have struck out on my own with a project, I usually find myself getting tense, nervous, and short-tempered. I have heard it said that God is not the author of confusion God is there for His children. He states his intention to be with us.

“So do not fear,” Fear says that we do not trust God. Fear is the opposite of faith.

I am with you.” When we know God is with us, events go smooth. We all have had times where we were unsure about the way we are to go, but God stays with us guiding, directing, and keeping us safe.

“do not be dismayed,” My concordance tells me dismayed means ‘caused to fear.’ (1.) When I think of this word I think of the gospel song, “God Will Take Care of You.”(2.) God does take care of us.


“for I am your God,” God speaks words of assurance here. He made us and extended salvation to each of His children.

“I will strengthen you and help you” God makes a wonderful statement here. He promised to give us strength. How many times have we attempted something and felt weak? If we seek the LORD, He will give us the strength we need to complete the task. God has many ways to help us: Gifting us with mercy and grace, leading us to accomplish a difficult task, allowing us to rest, and listening to our prayers and our thoughts. 

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,” God tells us how He will be there for us. He uses His right hand to keep us on track. We are to praise God for His deeds that allow us to grow closer to Him.

            Have you had times of doubt and fear and realized later that God was there all along?



Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Book Review: Everyday Praise



By Julie Sunne

            Julie Sunne, a wife and a very active mother of four children, has explored the element of praise to God as a part of our daily worship. As I read these devotional essays, I felt a peace come over me that I had been missing. For each devotion, she has designed a meme that drew me closer to the text and allowed the words speak to my heart.
            Included in the e-book is a link to a downloadable journal to aid the reader to enhance what she or he has read. I find this a plus for the reader. At present, this book is a Kindle publication. Later in the fall, Julie plans to make this book available as a paperback.
            I would recommend Julie’s book to anyone who feels adrift from God and desires to have a closer walk with Jesus.
The new devotional, #Everyday Praise by Julie Sunne, is available on Kindle FREE for 5 days only! Get it at http://amzn.to/2cplH76.  This offer ends on September 16, 2016
Julie writes on her blog at http://www.juliesunne.com/


            I received a copy of this book and the accompanying journal free from the author. All she asked of me was to give an honest review.

Monday, September 12, 2016

The Peace of God

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
 Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

            I like the way Paul writes this message. He starts out where most of his readers, then and now, are. At some point in our lives, most of us are worriers. Paul tells us NOT to be anxious.

            He then tells us how to achieve this state of non-anxiety. We have times when worries might seem to be in order. Paul tells us not to worry about ANYTHING. That can sound like a tall order, especially if we have not had a relationship with Jesus.
   
            He then tells us to give it all to Jesus, IN EVERYTHING. We should not hold back anything from God because He already knows it. The reason we are to confess our sins is God wants us to know what we did and that it was wrong.

            Then, He tells us, his readers, how to relieve ourselves of the tension of our being anxious. We are to PRESENT OUR REQUESTS TO GOD. We do this by prayer and seeking His guidance for those issues that beset us.

            Paul tells us of the outcome when we follow this practice, THE PEACE OF GOD WILL GUARD {OUR} HEARTS AND MINDS.    This peace is a special gift. It is from God and goes beyond what we can imagine
    
            Are you aware of anyone who needs to find His peace because of a trial they face?

What can you do to help them through their turmoil?

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...